Edward Robert Vrdolyak,also known as "Fast Eddie",is a former American politician and lawyer. He was a longtime Chicago alderman and the head of the Cook County Democratic Party until 1987 when he ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Chicago on the Illinois Solidarity Party ticket. He subsequently ran again in 1989 on the Republican Party ticket. He was a prominent opponent of Harold Washington and the de facto leader of the so-called "Vrdolyak 29" that opposed and blocked many of Washington's measures.
Edward Michael Burke is an American politician found guilty of racketeering,bribery,and extortion who served as the alderman of Chicago's 14th ward from 1969 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party,he was first elected to the Chicago City Council in 1969,and represented part of the city's Southwest Side. Chair of Council's Committee on Finance,Burke had been called Chicago's "most powerful alderman" by the Chicago Sun-Times. Burke was named one of the "100 Most Powerful Chicagoans" by Chicago Magazine,describing him as "[o]ne of the last of the old-school Chicago Machine pols."
Arenda Iris Troutman is an American former politician who ran as a member of the Democratic Party. Troutman served as alderman of Chicago,Illinois 20th Ward from April 1990 until February 2007. Troutman was appointed to her position by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley,to fill the ward's vacancy after the death of alderman Ernest Jones. Troutman was subsequently re-elected in 1991,1995,1999,and 2003.
Ricardo Muñoz is a former member of the Chicago City Council,having served as alderman for the 22nd ward,which includes Little Village and Archer Heights. Muñoz was appointed to this position by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1993 and served until 2019. He was the longest tenured Latino and fourth longest tenured member of the Chicago City Council.
Daniel Solis is an American politician from Illinois. He served as an alderman on the Chicago City Council from 1996 to 2019. He represented Chicago's 25th Ward which includes the Lower West Side.
Isaac "Ike" Sims Carothers is a former alderman of the 29th Ward on the far west side of the City of Chicago. He was first elected in 1999. He resigned in 2010 after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.
A racial hoax occurs when a person falsely claims that a crime was committed by member of a specific race. The crime may be fictitious,or may be an actual crime.
Issues arose between Chick-fil-A and the LGBT community in June 2012 after Dan T. Cathy,the fast food restaurant's chief executive officer,made a series of public comments opposing same-sex marriage. This followed reports that Chick-fil-A's charitable endeavor,the S. Truett Cathy-operated WinShape Foundation,had donated millions of dollars to organizations seen by LGBT activists as hostile to LGBT rights. Activists called for protests and boycotts,while supporters of the restaurant chain and opponents of same-sex marriage ate there in support of the restaurant. National political figures both for and against the actions spoke out and some business partners severed ties with the chain.
Corruption in Illinois has been a problem from the earliest history of the state. Electoral fraud in Illinois pre-dates the territory's admission to the Union in 1818. Illinois had the third most federal criminal convictions for public corruption between 1976 and 2012,behind New York and California. A study published by the University of Illinois Chicago in 2022 ranked Illinois as the second most corrupt state in the nation,with 4 out of the last 11 governors serving time in prison.
The 2015 Chicago aldermanic elections happened on February 24,2015,to elect the 50 Aldermen that represent Chicago in the City Council. The elections were non-partisan and if no candidate received an absolute majority,a runoff would be held between the top two finishers on April 7,2015.
Willie B. Cochran is an American politician and former Chicago Police Department officer. Cochran served as alderman of Chicago,Illinois' 20th Ward from 2007 until 2019.
Patrick Daley Thompson is an American former politician and convicted felon who most recently served as an alderman from Chicago's 11th ward and was previously a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. A member of the prominent Daley family,he is a grandson of Richard J. Daley and a nephew of Richard M. Daley,both of whom served as longtime mayors of Chicago.
John Arena is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party,he represented the 45th ward in the Chicago City Council from 2011 to 2019.
In January 2017,four perpetrators:Jordan Hill,Tesfaye "Teefies" Cooper,and Brittany and Tanishia Covington committed a hate crime and other offenses against a mentally disabled man in Chicago,Illinois. The attackers,two black men and two black women,laughed as they kidnapped and physically,verbally,and racially abused the white victim. The incident was livestreamed on Facebook.
The 2019 Chicago elections took place in two rounds on February 26,2019,and April 2,2019. Elections were held for Mayor of Chicago,City Clerk of Chicago,City Treasurer of Chicago,and all 50 members of the Chicago City Council. The candidates who won in these elections were inaugurated on May 20,2019. Four ballot referendums were also voted on in certain precincts. The elections were administered by the Chicago Board of Elections.
Matt Martin is an American politician who is currently serving as a member of Chicago City Council for the city's 47th ward. He won election as alderman in 2019 and was re-elected in 2023. The 47th ward includes all or parts of the North Center,Lincoln Square,Lakeview,and Uptown neighborhoods.
The 2019 Chicago aldermanic election took place in two rounds on February 26 and April 2,2019,to elect 50 aldermen to the Chicago City Council. Each alderman represents one of Chicago's 50 wards. The elections are non-partisan and use a two-round system where the top two finishers compete in a second-round run-off if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round. The elections were party of the 2019 Chicago elections,which included elections for Mayor,City Clerk,City Treasurer.
Daniel Francis La Spata is a Chicago politician. He has served as the alderman of Chicago's 1st ward since May 2019. He won election to that office after defeating incumbent Proco Joe Moreno in the 2019 Chicago aldermanic elections. He is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.
James M. Gardiner is a Chicago politician and firefighter who serves as the alderman for the 45th ward in the Chicago City Council. Elected to the Chicago City Council in 2019,Gardiner identified as a political independent;however,he would later switch to the Democratic Party and currently serves as the 45th Ward Democratic Committeeperson.
The 2023 Chicago aldermanic election took place in two rounds on February 28 and April 4,2023,to elect 50 alderpersons to the Chicago City Council. Each alderperson represents one of Chicago's 50 wards. The elections are non-partisan and use a two-round system where the top two finishers compete in a second-round runoff if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round. The elections are part of the 2023 Chicago elections,which include elections for Mayor,City Clerk,and City Treasurer.
